Removable safety bar for windows, doors and the like



Dec. 21, 1965 M. c. SULLIVAN REMOVABLE SAFETY BAR FOR WINDOWS, DOORS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1965 INVENTOR MARIE C. SULLIVAN ATTORNEYS Dec. 21, 1965 c. su w 3,224,048

REMOVABLE SAFETY BAR FOR WINDOWS, DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed May 20, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 9

INVENTOR MARIE C. SULLIVAN ATTORNEYS Dec. 21, 1965 M. c. SULLIVAN 3,224,043

REMOVABLE SAFETY BAR FOR WINDOWS, DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed May 20, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG? INVENTOR MARIE C. SULLIVAN ATTORNEYS United States Pate 1 3,224,048 REMOVABLE SAFETY BAR FOR WINDOWS, DQORS AND THE LIKE Marie C. Sullivan, 198 Forest St., Needham, Mass. Filed May 20, 1965, Ser. No. 457,338 7 Claims. (CI. 20-71) This application is a continuation-impart of my prior copending application Serial No. 207,200, filed July 3, 1962, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a removable safety bar especially adapted for use in connection with windows, doors and the like. It especially relates to a safety bar arrangement that prevents unauthorized entry through a door or window equipped therewith; that is difiicult, if not impossible, to remove from outside the door or window; but that can be removed quickly and easily from the inside whenever such removal is desired or necessary.

With the increase in the incident of crimes, especially those crimes involving the forcible entry of a house or an apartment it has become increasingly important to provide means for barring unauthorized entry through doors and through windows, especially fire escape windows and windows at or near ground level. Such means should, however, not interfere with the normal use of a window for ventilating purposes, or especially in the case of a window and a fire escape the use of the window for emergency egress. Furthermore such means should be of a nature that they can not be readily removed or released by someone reaching in from the outside, either through an opening when the window or door is open or ajar, or by removing a pane of glass, but that they can be easily and quickly released and removed in an emergency situation from the inside.

It is the object of this invention to provide a safety bar arrangement that can be applied easily and readily to a door or a window by means of several (two in the case of a :door, four in the ease of a window) small brackets that can be permanently installed Without any substantial damage to the woodwork and which can be mounted in said brackets by means of a single fastening member such as a wing nut in the case of a door, or two such fastening members in the case of a window.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a safety guard in a manner that can be produced economically since a few standard sizes will fit a wide variety of doors and windows.

These and other objects will become readily apparent from the following description, and from the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an over all view showing the safety bar arrangement of the present invention in place on a window;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a cross member of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of a portion of a cross member shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevation partially in section and partially exploded showing in detail one of the safety bars in the arrangement shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevation of one of the permanently installed brackets used with the safety bar of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an elevation showing in detail the second variety of permanently installed bracket used with the safety bar of the present invention, and showing an optional provision for locking the safety bar to said second bracket;

FIG. 7 is a plan view partially in section showing the safety bar of the present invention installed on a door;

FIG. 8 is an elevation partially exploded of the safety bar shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded elevation showing details of the attachment of the safety bar of FIG. 7 to a modification of the second variety of bracket.

The safety bar of the present invention comprises generally a first bracket 11, a second bracket 12, both of which are adapted to be fastened to a frame 13, of a door 14 or window 15 at points removed from one another, and an elongated bar 16 of substantial width adapted to extend therebetween.

First bracket 11 (see FIG. 5) comprises a base 17 and a U-shaped element 18. U-shaped element 18 which is fastened to base 17 by means of suitable fastening means such as rivets 19, comprises a central portion 21 which terminates at either end in a downwardly extending arm 22 and 23 and an outwardly extending arm 24 and 25. Rivets 19 pass through outwardly extending arms 24 and 25 holding arms 24 and 25 in close contact with base 17. Central portion 21 which extends generally parallel to base 17 and is removed therefrom by a distance slightly in excess of the thickness of elongated bar 16 is slightly longer than the width of elongated bar 16. Base 17 of bracket 11 extends somewhat above and below U-shaped element 18 an dapertures 26 for receiving screws or other fastening elements are provided in the extended portions preferably in a position such as to be covered up by bar 16 when bar 16 is in place in bracket 11.

The second bracket 12 comprises a generally U-shaped element having a base 27 and two upstanding arms 28 and 29 which extend outwardly from base 27 at substantially right angles for a substantial distance. Arms 28 and 29 are separated one from the other by a distance slightly in excess of the width of bar 16. Bracket 12 is provided with a bolt 31 which extends upwardly from base 27 midway between arms 28 and 29 for a distance substantially equal to or slightly less than the height of arms 28 and 29. Base 27 is provided with a plurality of screw receiving apertures 32 to permit the fastening of bracket 12 to the frame of a door or window by means of screw 33 or other suitable fastening means.

Bar 16 comprises an elongated first bar member 35 and a second bar member 36 both formed of bar stock of substantially the same width. One end of elongated first bar member 35 is provided with an integral tongue 37 adapted to slide into the space between U-shaped member 18 and base 17 of first bracket 11 in close contact with the internal walls thereof. The end of elongated bar member 35 opposite integral tongue 37 is provided with an extension 38 which extends at substantially right angles thereto for a distance substantially equal to or slightly in excess of the length of arms 28 and 29 of second bracket 12. Extension 38 is provided with an elongated internal slot 39 which extends for a substantial portion of the length of extension 38 parallel to and substantially midway between the sides thereof.

Second bar member 36 is provided at one end with a projection 41 adapted to pass through slot 39 with its side walls in close association with the side walls of slot 39. Projection 41 is fixed to second bar member 36 by suitable fastening means such as rivet 42. The end of projection 41 is provided with a transversely extending capping means 43 adapted when projection 41 extends through slot 39 to engage in sliding engagement the rear wall of extension 38 and to maintain second bar member 36 substantially parallel to first bar member 35. Second bar member 36 is provided with a centrally located aperture 44 adapted to pass over bolt 31 of second bracket 12. The distance between aperture 44 and extension 38 is such that when aperture 44 is in place over bolt 31 extension 38 is adjacent to and only slightly separated from arms 28 and 29 of bracket 12, so that the three upstanding members form, in a sense, an enclosure about bolt 31. A nut 45 such as a wing nut is provided to cooperate with bolt 31 and to retain second bar member 36 in place in second bracket 12.

Brackets 11 and 12 are so mounted that when second bar member 36 is in engaging relation with bolt 31 of bracket 12 integral tongue 37 engages in bracket 11 thus holding elongated bar 16 firmly in place between the two brackets 11 and 12. To remove bar 16 nut 45 is first removed from bolt 31. Because of the protection afforded by upstanding arms 28 and 29 of bracket 12 and extension 38 of first bar member 35 this can be done quite easily from within the room, but is difficult, if not impossible, for someone reaching in from outside. Once nut 45 is removed second bar member 36 is slid outwardly along slot 39 out of engagement with bolt 31. Once second bar member 36 is free of bolt 31 elongated bar 16 may be moved toward second bracket 12 with extension 38 passing between arms 28 and 29 thus moving integral tongue 37 out of engagement with bracket 11. To reinsert elongated bar 16 these steps are reversed. Thus the safety bar of the present invention can readily be placed in and out of position merely by loosening a single nut.

When adapted for use in a window, as shown in FIG. 1, two elongated bars 16 are provided, each extending vertically up the opposite jambs 46 and 47 of frame 13 with a first bracket 11 mounted at the bottom on each side, and a second bracket 12 mounted at an elevated position on jamb 46 or 47 vertically above the said first bracket 11. In the window version extension 38 extends outwardly from bar 16 to keep the inner side of bar 16 in close association with the window jamb. This inner side of first bar member 35 which is adjacent jamb 46 or 47. is provided with a plurality of transverse channels 48 adapted to receive cross members 49. Each such channel 48 is provided with a bolt receiving aperture 51.

Cross member 49 (shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3) preferably comprises an elongated element of sufiicient length to extend from bar 16 on one jamb 46 to bar 16 on the other jamb 47. This element is provided at either end with upstanding bolts 53 and 54 adapted to engage in the appropriate aperture 51 in channel 48. When so engaged cross member 49 can be retained on bar 16 by means of suitable fastening members such as wing nuts 55 adapted to engage bolts 53 and 54. Cross member 49 extends from one bar 16 to the opposite bar 16 across the window opening. As many such cross members 49 may be provided as desired. It will be noted that as'shown where bar 16 lies next to either jamb 46 or jamb 47, where the thickness of cross member 49 and cross member receiving channel 48 are substantially the same, and where bolts 53 and 54 extend outwardly through apertures 51, cross member 49 can be removed from bars 16 only when bars 16 are removed from their respective window jambs 46 or 47 To avoid custom fitting of the window safety bars it may be desirable to provide cross members 49 with length adjusting means as shown. A convenient length adjusting means can be provided by forming the cross member from three separate pieces, a short bar portion 56 in which bolt 53 is mounted, a second short bar portion 57 in which bolt 54 is mounted, and a strap member 58 adapted to overlie the free ends of bar portions 56 and 57 and to extend therebetween. Strap member 58 is provided with an elongated slot 59. One end of strap member 58 is fixed to the free end of bar portion 56 by means of fastening means which, as shown, may include upstanding bolts 61 mounted on member 56 adapted to pass through apertures 62 in strap member 58 and to be held in place by nuts 63. Bar portion 57 is provided with a upstanding rod 64 adapted to pass through slot 59, and to be retained in sliding engagement with slot 59 by capping member 65 which is afiixed to the end of rod 64.

It is only necessary to provide cross members 49 at sufficient intervals to prevent someone from crawling through the window. Often times for decorative pur= poses it is desirable to fill certain of the spaces between functional cross members 49 with additional cross slats. Additional cross members 49 may be used for such pur'-: pose, or the space may be filled by decorative slot 66 which, since they serve merely a non-functional decora tive purpose, may be formed of any material.

It will be understood that the safety bar arrangement described above may extend as far up the window as may be desired. If, as shown, only the lower half of the window is covered by the safety bar arrangement, some means should be provided to prevent the top half of the window from being lowered. A convenient means for doing this is shown in FIG. 1 using an additional bracket 12 mounted on the upper portion of jamb 46 or 47 with arms 28 and 29 oriented horizontally. A safety lock 67 is provided which cooperates with this bracket 12. Safety lock 67 comprises an arm 68 which is provided at one end with an aperture adapted to cooperate with bolt 31, and at the other end with a transverse bar 69 mounted as by rivet 71 and adapted to rest against the side mullion of window 15 adjacent the pane of glass or light therein. Bar 69 may be provided with a pad of rubber, felt or other soft material to reduce the possibility of damage to the glass. Window safety lock 67 is removed merely by removing nut 45 from bolt 31 and when in place limits the degree to which the upper portion of a double hung window can be lowered.

In the case of windows that are not needed for emergency exit the safety bar of the present invention may be locked into place by providing, as shown in FIG. 6, bolt 31 with a locking means receiving aperture 72 located at a position to be beyond the outer edge of nut 45 when nut 45 is in place, and with a locking means such as the small padlock 73 adapted to pass through aperture 72.

It will be noted, as mentioned above, the bar 16 covers screw holes 26 and 32 and screws 33 in brackets 11 and 12 when in place. Thus brackets 11 and 12 cannot be removed unless bar 16 is first removed.

The safety bar of the present invention may be formed of any suitable material, but is preferably formed of a suitable metal, such as steel. When used to prevent forcible entry the strength of the various members comprising the safety bar of the present invention should be sufficient to withstand any effort to break through. Beside being used to prevent forcible entry the safety bar of the present invention may be used with great advantage in rooms occupied by small children to prevent the child from crawling through an open window. The ease with which the cross bar arrangement can be installed or removed leaving only brackets 11 and 12 in place is of great advantage for such use. In such case a lighter gauge metal could be used than when the bars are used to prevent forcible entry.

The same basic arrangement can be used as a safety bar across a door as shown, in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. Here first bracket 11 is mounted on that jamb 75 of the door nearest the opening, second bracket 12 is mounted on that jamb 76 with the door nearest the hinge, and elongated bar 16 extends across the door opening. In order to permit door 14 to be opened wide enough (as shown in phantom in FIG. 7) that the occupant of the dwelling can see who is at the door without removing the safety bar, the central portion of bar 16 may be offset from a straight line between brackets 11 and 12 in a direction away from the door. This can be accomplished by providing an offset 77, of the same length as extension 38 and parallel thereto, between elongated first bar member 35 and outwardly extending integral tongue 37. Since bracket 12 is located on the side of the door 14 which is away from the opening there is no possibility that anyone could reach through the door opening to remove nut 45 and for this reason arms 28 and 29 of bracket 12 may be omitted if desired, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9.

To facilitate removal of bar 16 elongated first bar member 35 may if desired be provided with a centrally located hinge member 78. If hinge member 78 is of the type that will fold only in one direction, and is mounted with the pin away from door 14, a supplementary locking means 79 may be provided. Hinge locking means 79 comprises a channel member 81 adapted to overlie first bar member 35 and hinge member 78. Channel member 81 is provided with an elongated longitudinal slot 82 and bar member 35 is provided with an outwardly extending bolt 83 adjacent hinge member 78 which bolt is adapted to pass through slot 82. With bolt 83 passing through slot 82 channel member 81 is retained in contact with bar member 35 and hinge member 78 by a fastening means such as nut 84 which cooperates with bolt 83. Slot 82 is provided long enough so that channel 81 can be slid longitudinally between a position where it overlies hinge member 78 preventing hinge member 78 from being folded and a position where it lies to one side of hinge member 78. Channel member 81 can be retained in either position merely by tightening nut 84.

I claim:

1. A removable safety bar for Windows and doors comprising a first bracket adapted to be fastened to a frame of such window or door, a second bracket adapted to be fastened to a frame of such window or door at a point removed from said first bracket, and an elongated bar having a substantial width extending therebetween; said first bracket comprising a base adapted to be secured to said frame, and a U-shaped element secured to said base, said U-shaped element having a portion extending parallel to said base and spaced therefrom; said second bracket comprising an inverted U-shaped element having a base and a pair of upstanding arms, said base of said second bracket being adapted to be secured to said frame and said arms being separated from each other by a distance slightly in excess of the Width of said bar, said inverted U- shaped element being provided with an upstanding bolt extending from the central portion of its base parallel to said arms for a distance approximately equal to the length of said arms; said bar comprising a first bar member being provided at one end with an integral tongue adapted to slide into said first bracket between said base and said U-shaped element, and at the other end with means for fastening said bar to said second bracket, said fastening means comprising an extension on said bar extending at substantially right angles to the plane thereof and provided with a elongated slot extending for a substantial portion of the length of said extension, a separate second bar member substantially as wide as said first bar member and provided at one end with a projection extending through said slot and at a central portion with an aperture adapted to engage the bolt on said second bracket, said projection provided when extending through said slot with capping means maintaining said second bar member substantially parallel with said first bar member and said projection in sliding engagement with said slot, said first bar member being of such length that said right angle extension is positioned adjacent to said second bracket when said bar is in place, and nut means adapted to co operate with said upstanding bolt to retain said fastening means in said second bracket.

2. A safety bar as claimed in claim 1 and adapted especially for use with a door wherein said first bracket is fastened to one jamb of said door, said second bracket is fastened to the other jamb of said door and said bar extends therebetween and wherein said tongue extends outwardly from an offsetting portion of said bar, said offsetting portion being substantially parallel to the extension of said bar at said second bracket fastening means.

3. A safety member comprising a safety bar as claimed in claim 1 and especially adapted for use with a window wherein said first and said second bracket are both fastened to one jamb of a window, and said bar extends vertically therebetween; wherein a second identical safety bar is provided for the other jamb of said window; and wherein a plurality of cross members each fastened at each end to one of said vertically extending safety bars are provided, said cross members extending across the window opening.

4. A safety member as claimed in claim 3 wherein each cross member is provided at each end thereof with an upstanding bolt; wherein each said vertically extending bar is provided with a plurality of cross member receiving channels on the rear face thereof; wherein each channel contains a bolt receiving aperture and wherein said cross members are secured to said bar by means of nuts cooperating with said bolts when said cross members are in position beneath said bars and said bolts extend through said bolt screw receiving apertures whereby each said cross member may be readily removed from each said bar but only when said bar is removed from said window.

5. A safety member as claimed in claim 4 wherein each cross member is provided with length adjusting slide means.

6. A safety bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided for securing said first bracket and said second bracket to said frame and are so located as to be covered by said bar when said bar is in place whereby said brackets cannot be removed without first removing said bar.

7. A safety bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upstanding bolt on said second bracket is provided with a locking means receiving aperture so located that locking means extending therethrough may be provided to prevent the removal of said nut when said nut is holding said bar in place.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 284,961 9/1883 Hill 292--259 604,411 5/ 1898 Motley -224 1,503,248 7/ 1924 Rudman 207l 1,814,317 7/1931 Lebherz 20-71 2,243,271 5/1941 Anderson 207l 2,589,878 3/1952 Shapiro 52-507 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner. 

1. A REMOVABLE SAFETY BAR FOR WINDOWS AND DOORS COMPRISING A FIRST BRACKET ADAPTED TO BE FASTENED TO A FRAME OF SUCH WINDOW OR DOOR, A SECOND BRACKET ADAPTED TO BE FASTENED TO A FRAME OF SUCH WINDOW OR DOOR AT A POINT REMOVED FROM SAID FIRST BRACKET, AND AN ELONGATED BAR HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN; SAID FIRST BRACKET COMPRISING A BASE ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID FRAME, AND A U-SHAPED ELEMENT SECURED TO SAID BASE, SAID U-SHAPED ELEMENT HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID BASE AND SPACED THEREFROM; SAID SECOND BRACKET COMPRISING AN INVERTED U-SHAPED ELEMENT HAVING A BAS AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING ARMS, SAID BASE OF SAID SECOND BRACKET BEING ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND SAID ARMS BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF THE WIDTH OF SAID BAR, SAID INVERTED USHAPED ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH AN UPSTANDING BOLT EXTENDING FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION OF ITS BASE PARALLLEL TO SAID ARMS FOR A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID ARMS; SAID BAR COMPRISING A FIRST BAR MEMBER BEING PROVIDED AT ONE END WITH AN INTEGRAL TONGUE ADAPTED TO SLIDE INTO SAID FIRST BRACKET BETWEEN SAID BASE AND SAID U-SHAPED ELEMENT, AND AT THE OTHER END WITH MEANS OFR FASTENING SAID BAR TO SAID SECOND BRACKET, SAID FASTENING MEANS COMPRISING AN EXTENSION ON SAID BAR EXTENDING AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE THEREOF AND PROVIDED WITH A ELONGATED SLOT EXTENDING FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE LENGTHS OF SAID EXTENSION, A SEPARATE SECOND BAR MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY AS WIDE AS SAID FIRST BAR MEMBER AND PROVIDED AT ONE END WITH A PROJECTION EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT AND AT A CENTRAL PORTION WITH AN APERTURE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE BOLT ON SAID SECOND BRACKET, SAID PROJECTION PROVIDED WHEN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT WITH CAPPING MEANS MAINTAINING SAID SECOND BAR MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID FIRST BAR MEMBER AND SAID PROJECTION IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SLOT, SAID FIRST BAR MEMBER BEING OF SUCH LENGTH THAT SAID RIGHT ANGLE EXTENSION IS POSITIONED ADJACENT TO SAID SECOND BRACKET WHEN SAID BAR IS IN PLACE, AND NUT MEANS ADAPTED TO COOPERAATE WITH SAID UPSTANDING BOLT TO RETAIN SAID FASTENING MEANS IN SAID SECOND BRACKET. 